Annual effective dose and concentration levels of gross alpha and beta in Turkish market tea

Abstract

Background: Tea is one of the most popular beverages all over the world which is prepared from the leaves of a shrub camellia sinensis. Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey which account for around 100% of all tea production in Turkey was among the areas contaminated by Chernobyl accident. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive study was planned and carried out to determine the level of gross alpha and beta radioactivity and annual effective dose equivalent in different Turkish market tea using LSC. Results: the average measurements for digestion and infusion are 5.0 mBql(-1) and 1.8 mBql(-1) for gross alpha, 80.7 mBql(-1) and 9.0 mBql(-1) for gross beta in tea samples. Contributions of the infusion tea samples to total annual effective dose equivalent from U-238, U-234, Th-230, Ra-226, Po-210, Th-232, Th-238, Pb-210 and Ra-228 are 0.103, 0.112, 0.480, 0.640, 2.742, 0.525, 0.164, 7.740 and 7.740 mu Svy(-1) for adults. Conclusion: the obtained results showed that natural activity concentrations of alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides and annual effective dose equivalent in tea samples did not exceed WHO recommended levels. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012; 10(2): 67-72